Craft Trends to Ditch in 2020

I looked at the trends I pointed out in my 2018 and 2019 craft trend reports and put together a quick guide to what’s trending down.

Some trends last for years (hello unicorns) while some only last a season. So it’s a good idea to know which are starting to peter out.

I use several tools to create these reports, which I won’t outline here, but the information I share is NOT based on my own opinion.

UNICORN

Unicorn-themed products are not as commonly shopped in 2020. The trend seems to have peaked in 2018 and is slowly declining. I researched a variety of unicorn-themed products and found the same downward trend for each.

CACTUS

Cactus-themed products have been popular over the past couple of years but the term isn’t as highly searched in 2020. It’s still up from 5 years ago though.

CHUNKY KNITS

This is more commonly searched than it was 5 years ago, but compared to the last 3 years, searches are trending downwards. There is always a spike over November and December and a dip over the summer, however, the spikes aren’t as high as last year (2019) or the year before that.

PUKA SHELL NECKLACE

This trend saw a big spike over the summer of 2019, started to decline in September and has fallen back down to where it was prior to its rise.

“YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE” NECKLACE

This trend has dropped from 2019, however, it’s still way up from 2018

TASSEL EARRINGS

This trend started in 2017, peaked in 2018, and has seen a steady decline over 2019 and the start of 2020. It’s most popular during summer months but 2019’s stats show it wasn’t as popular last summer as the past two years.

DIFFUSER OIL NECKLACES & BRACELETS

This upward trend started in 2015, peaked in 2017 and is at its lowest in the past 5 years. Essential oils are still popular, however, it could be because they’re more common that fewer people are searching for items related to them.

I did check every single trend mentioned in my 2018 and 2019 trend reports and those were the only ones that were declining. The others were either holding steady or still on the rise so be sure to check out those articles for upward/steady trends.

With the rise of some trends means the fall of others. Here are a few more trends that may start to take a backseat.

ARTIFICIAL

With consumers being more aware of the harmful ingredients many big companies put into their products, the natural, environmentally-friendly, organic, etc. trend is growing.

This may indicate products that use artificial ingredients (e.g. artificial scents in soaps or candles) or materials that aren’t environmentally friendly (e.g. non-recyclable plastic used for packaging), or fast fashion that is typically made under unethical working conditions, will be trending down.

Conscious consuming is on the rise so make sure your brand and products communicate their high-quality, won’t-end-up-in-a-landfill, features.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL

The world is becoming less black and white and people are no longer expected to fit into pre-defined boxes such as female or male. More and more people feel comfortable to be who they are and no longer feel obligated to conform to traditional standards.

As products that allow people to express their individuality rise, cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all type of products will likely take a bit of a backseat.

IDEALISM

It’s easier to spot fake accounts, photoshopped images, and inauthentic Instagram accounts. As consumers grow tired of unrealistic standards they’re supposed to live up to, they’re drawn to authentic brands that paint a more realistic picture.

As realism in branding trends up, we’ll likely see less interest in the unrealistic fairytales some brands try to sell.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE SELLING AN ITEM THAT’S TRENDING DOWN?

It can be a scary time, as a business owner, when something that has consistently brought your business money, dries up or starts to decline. But as business owners, we always have to be ready to adapt to changes.

It’s a lot of work but that’s why you’re the brave one who started their own business; you’re willing to take on the hard work.

If it were as easy as designing a product, making some sales and then being able to sit back and watch sales continue to pour in, everyone would be running a business. We must work on our businesses constantly to continue to see results. Product changes are just part of that work.

With this article, I’m not suggesting your products won’t sell if they’re found in the list above.

If you’re selling tassel earrings and they’re still flying off the shelf, don’t worry about the downward trend I’ve noticed. Only make changes when you feel you need to. If sales start to drop next year, then you can think about updating what you sell. If they hold steady, keep doing what you’re doing.

If you’ve noticed a dip in sales and are wondering what to do to get them back up, the following tips may help:

1) Find a new trend

If you’ve been selling a trendy product then you likely knew the day would come when the trend started to phase out. But, you’re also likely flexible and willing to go where the sales are.

Have a look over CRAFT TRENDS FOR 2020 to see if there are any new trends in your product category that you can try selling.

2) Forgo trends and focus on your signature style

If you don’t like how much change is required to chase trends, try focusing on building your signature style so your business becomes known for it.

Momentum can continue to grow with this business model. As more and more people discover your signature style and you become known as an expert within that style and niche, sales continue to rise.

3) Create a niche product

Appealing to a niche is all about creating a product for someone specific. It’s not about creating earrings that everyone could wear or a soap that works for all skin types. It’s getting specific and serving a subsection of the market that’s been ignored.

This also has less risk and more potential to continuously grow, as opposed to rising and falling with a trend.

4) Check the sales channel

If you notice a dip in sales and you’re not selling a trend product (or you are but it’s still trending up while your sales are trending down), check the way you’re selling it. That could be what’s causing a drop in sales.

If you’re selling on Etsy and have noticed their algorithm change has caused your sales to drop, have a read over this article: WHAT’S GOING ON WITH ETSY?

5) Check the economy or your business’s selling season

The tips in the article don’t just apply to a slow economy. Perhaps your business goes through a slow season during the year. You can try the tactics explained in the article to get some sales-generating.

6) Check your marketing approach

Online, the average conversion rate is 1 – 2%. That means, a social media post typically requires 100 people to click the link and visit your shop for you to make ONE sale.

Of course, sometimes you get lucky and reach the right person at the right time and can make a sale even though only a couple of people saw your post.

But if you keep in mind how many people your marketing has to reach and influence to click just to make one or two sales, you can understand why it’s so important your marketing is on point.

This is a great article. Very informative and helpfull… however, since it’s publication there have been problems at Etsy – many (but not all) due to the COVID problems everyone is dealing with. For both prospective buyers and sellers I would highly recommend visiting the Etsy Community forums (just Google Etsy Community and select forums) to see first hand what both customers and shop owners are dealing with.

At the moment, the BIG issue is that Etsy management/help seems to have all but disappeared. Multiple glitches and strange things happening within shops, problems with shipments, returns, refunds, getting paid by Etsy and countless other recent issues – all unanswered by Etsy who have apparently removed their contact numbers from view. This is a bad sign.